CeBit 2016 “ The Great Fragmentation Marketing Inside -Out ”
- By Greg Allardice
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- 11 May, 2016
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CeBit 2016
“ The Great Fragmentation Marketing Inside -Out ”
Mr Steve Sammartino Author, Keynote speaker Steve Sammartino spoke at CeBit 2016 Australia the largest and longest running business technology event in Asia – Pacific region 2-4 May at Sydney Olympic Park. www.cebit.com.au
Media Futures interviewed Steve about “ The Great Fragmentation Marketing Inside -Out ” and it’s applications for the marketing and media sector
Here’s a snap shot summary of what Steve Sammartino had to say –
Question: How do we deal with fragmentation.
Response: Firstly we should not fight it, it is inevitable. The tools of production are so democratised now and so affordable. Previously if you wanted to be on a screen it would cost millions of dollars now you get get an audience for as low as 20 cents on Facebook. Fragmentation is in all areas of business. Don’t put boundaries around your business. Embrace the truth of the fragmentation. The best way to handle it is to open up and allow people to create something that they really want, like making a new product with you, allowing them to create something that suits themselves.That process elevates you to their levels by making something that people really want. It’s like creating a partnership with your customers rather than selling them something.
Question: 90% don’t do work at their place of work, is this the end of the office
Response: The office is the last industrial enclave. Look at history. We forget to look at at why things exist. If we remember why something was built in the first instance then its easy to forget why its still relevant. The office was originally attached to the factory and transporting information was physical and local. Now information is not physical nor local. The tools in offices used to be very expensive. Photocopiers used to cost $ 200,000. Centralised operations were designed to maintain costs but not now work can be done anywhere. Do people still need to interact, do we need it 5 days a week, no we don’t. The reason the 9am to 5pm working day exists is that this is when the sun shone into factory windows. If we had to redesign the office it would not be 5 days a week in the same space. We can now have the best of both worlds with new technology.
Question: How long does it take in the fragmented world from making the connection to profit
Response: To connect with a small audience is quite quick. To connect with mass audiences is hard and does not happen any more. Technology companies launch in beta and do private launches first. Air BnB launched city by city there was no big launch. In a fragmented world it’s hard to connect with everyone straight away. Sometimes there is a big lag between the connection and the profit. If we aim for small audience at a time we can profit from it and make a valuable connection and monetise it. If we want a big macro audiences you need to invest for the long term, the ROI won’t occur in the next quarter. We need to invest it forward.Venture capital is doing this on long lead times with monetisation a couple of years down the road thereby allowing organisations the time to make a return. It is an infrastructure re set. The supermarket shampoo strategy of invest now sell tomorrow does not hold true. Today it is about connect now and the revenue comes from outside. It’s the related revenue realm. It requires a different mindset from CTOs and marketers. Google gives away search but makes money on the sale of advertising.They give away the product and make money outside of the product. Its time for a different mindset. Think micro first get a return on investment then expand on scale.
Question: What advice would you give for aggregation and measurement of all media and not just measure selected mediums in isolation and that exclude new entrants or related mediums
Response: The first thing is remember is that the research companies and main stream media have a vested interest in what they are measuring. If the scope of the measurement is reduced it makes them look like they are performing better than they are. You can have x% share of voice or eyeballs, but we know this is not true, this is a classic example of don’t believe everything you read. Make your own interpretations of where the value is. For anyone reading this article have a look in your lounge room tonight and see where people’s eyes are. The way I define TV today is audio visual content streamed to eyeballs equals TV. Youtube is not measured in industry surveys yet it is TV. The truth is not being measured. It is fragmented and it’s harder but we need a realistic approach of what we are paying for and who is really seeing it. In digital media it is far more trackable you can measure who is watching and the mobile phone is so personal it has a 5 to 1 advantage in my opinion over desktop and laptop. Snapchat measures actuals, Twitter is opportunities to see, banner ads are opportunities to see. I have never believed TV box top ratings, who’s in the room and who pressed the buttons. Are we still falling for that?
TV is not dead but we are investing large dollars and need to understand that TV as an example is not a one size fits all, we are not going to get everyone. It takes more to find our audience in the fragmented world.
Question : If Marketing moves horizontally how quickly do you need to move horizontally and I what steps
Response : Stop measuring market share it is based on verticals and supply chains. It makes assumptions on who we compete against and on supply chains. Banks may measure the amount of mortgages they make, however do they measure the amount of venture capital and crowd funding? Where money is moving is not in their market share calculations. As we move to a digital economy the market place is horizontal, people can hop into new industries, Apple became a player in the music industry, Air BnB owns no physical assets and is not measured in the figures of hotel chain category. It is about virtual connections and that makes it horizontal. To solve problems we need to look to the side and outside of industry verticals. We need to solve problems by connecting things and that’s horizontal. This is where different industries cut across each other because it’s possible.
Quote from Steve: “ If you want to make the effort and learn, it’s a few key strokes away on the internet. There has never been more opportunity to learn it and learn it quickly.If you want to be a one percenter, be the one percenter who pays attention to the changes.”
Media Futures undertook this interview in order to inform the media and marketing industry that the pace of change is faster than we think. Some may say I already know this fact, but have not yet acted upon it. The message to marketers and media practitioners is to be very precise in decision making and be astute to target more effectively.
If your media policy, media strategy, media planning and media buying have not addressed The Great Fragmentation it is time to investigate this current and real issue.
Hopefully the audience will remember your message or have a call to action where you can sell your products or create a change in perceptions.
Media Licensing on the other hand is an investment into a theme or device in which you have a vested interest. It maybe a song, a musical work, a character, an intellectual property or linked to another brand name that fits with your company brand or service.
As such you are renting or licensing something of substance that becomes an asset over the term of the licence without having to go through the process of creating it yourself. All the hard work has been done, you simply hitch your wagon to the licensed device and grow your presence through the goodwill that comes with it.
Media and Licensing are often overlooked in a desire to spend time in the creative process of making your own theming.
Licensing when done properly and well matched cuts down on wasted time and allows you to prosper through the imagery and persona already in place.
To find out more about media and licensing contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
This pattern has persisted for decades. Possibly because business owners think that people dont spend money or that for some reason people stop using media.
In an age where media usage is portable and the mobile phone is the dominant medium it makes sense to be flexible in your media strategies and take advantage of an audience on the move but still seeking information and content
And yes believe it or not they have money to spend.
Whilst most media usage is focussed around selling your stuff, this more relaxed time of year is when consumer plan for the future and where their next investment or activity is to happen.
Hence content creation and storytelling about who you are, your products and services on offer are valuable.
Consider presenting them in a non retail format that can inform and allow your target market to make informed decisions.
Media does not sleep over the summer period. Make it work for you.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Through building layers of media you build frequency of message that ultimately has an impact which translates into a positive result for your company brand or service.
Like the layers of bark on a tree, media also changes through seasons providing renewal and regrowth.
Consider the number of mediums you choose, how they are rotated, how the time of day messaging works and the duplication or over exposure leading wastage of your budget.
Media layers have proven to be effective over decades of planning and buying.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Every hour new mediums come online or are created through traditional bricks and mortar media owners.
This may seem very exciting and you believe a new untapped audience awaits.
The fact is its the same old audience being fragmented into ever smaller parcels of media.
What is the impact on your business of Media Overload and how do you combat the ever increasing wall of clutter.
The impact is not good. It means you have to spend more for less.
There are 3 clear options.
1. Exit the media business all together
2. Concentrate on smaller niche audiences
3. Spread your budget thinly across multiples of mediums to reach the maximum number of potentials.
Making the right decision depends on many intricate decisions on how you want to structure your business.
Making the wrong choice will set you back by months and regaining lost ground costs even more.
To find out about Media Overload, contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Wednesday 30 October 2019
Credit to CEBIT 2019 for arranging this interview
Here's what Stephen had to say.
Q 1. Has social media peaked? Is there too much of it?
I don’t think social media has peaked.There are still a lot of people in the world who don’t have the internet. In many ways social media is useful like electricity and water. Facebook has 2 .6 billion users and there are 7 billion people on the earth so in that sense there is a long way to go. Social media absorbs our attention and has AI to support it.
Anything of too much can be bad and there are limits and there are limits and how it interfaces with your psychology and emotions.Some of that is not understood and we are starting to understand it.
It can be disconnecting and alarming, like the telephone, how can you talk on that contraption for so long and you cant see them. Humans are adaptable.
Is there too much social media..... I don’t think so, but we need the right kind and right quality of social media.
Q 2. With the recent investigations into social companies, has the integrity of the social sector been damaged?
It depends on your perspective as a user, as a social scientist or an advertiser or government.
They all have slightly different perceptions. We have left the age when social media was universally good.
Thats behind us. There is good and bad in the internet and social media.We tend not to understand the bad things and if we do not understand them then we don’t know how to put in mitigations.
I urge companies like Google and Facebook to open up their platforms and ask the experts to come in and ask what good and bad effect is this having on individuals, societies, politics, how opinions get formed. Some are easy to identify and can be removed but it’s the subtle effects those are the ones we need to understand more deeply.
Q 3. How can SME make money from social media if a bidding system exists?
Facebook is pretty good as a platform and they and others have built tools to reach audiences. Before the internet if you were a coffee shop as an example you could not afford to run TV advts or radio advts or place newspaper advts, the audiences were too big and the advts too expensive.
Social media is built for the long tail of small business that traditional media could not build for.
The fact it is a bidding system should not make any difference as its a sustainable business and if a level is not found then prices come down. There is tension in an auction and small business should not be at a disadvantage to big business.
Q 4. How far can social media go? What are its limits?
The key insight from social media is that it taps into a human desire, to be connected to other people and it uses technology to do that.
There is a lot more energy left in social, we have not seen the end of it.
There are 2.5 billion smart phones now,10 years ago there were none. Theres a long way to go.
Its based on what people want to know. Whats going on in my world.The things that are disruptive and exciting are the advancement of data privacy and and consumers will have more control. The things to watch for the future is virtual technology like VR I phones. As an example if my friend is in Bali I can go surfing on VR with that friend.
Copyright Media Futures
Media Futures interviewed Stephen Sheeler at Cebit 2019
Darling Harbour Sydney October 2019
Website mediafutures.com.au
AI is basically having pre set computer models make your decisions, which means that the data input needs to be done by a human and the computer model is only as good what the human inputs.
AI may be the latest thing however there is one ingredient missing the human interaction between buyer and seller of media space and time. This element has always been the backbone of media relationships and AI needs to be rethought before assuming it will work work for you.
If you are concerned about AI and the long term effects it might have on your business then contact Media Futures
Website medifutures.com.au
The fact remains that media is simply a combination of mediums that delivers an audience. This audience either reacts favourably to your messages or through the sheer volume of messages the audience simply cannot remember your company brand or service.
Media is wrongly perceived as a way to make money.
That silly phrase " monetise" from the media is just another buzz word from those who talk up investing in media with no responsibility on delivering new dollars nor bringing in new paying customers.
In an age where media is now dominated by online and social its too easy to believe that these relatively new mediums can actually bring in new customers and make money. The fact is most of it does not work and you are simply shifting your dollars from traditional into online and social.
Shifting media dollars into the latest hot media in the hope of a return is a waste of time. This is why media does not work and the loser is you.
If you do seek a better way to invest into the media and get results, contact Media Futures.
Website mediafutures.com.au
Where does this lead?
Down the path to nowhere. No presence, no new customers and no sales.
So the recessionary vicious cycle takes over every thing grinds to a halt.
However those clever business owners who use recessionary media wisely can spend the right amount without going broke and continue to dominate their sector of operation.
How do you find such mediums and use them wisely? The answers and solutions are not in text books or self help blogs or social media.
The solution comes comes from sitting down with an independent media specialist who has endured multiples of recessions, has come out he other side intact and knows how to make the most of whats on offer during these boring recessionary days.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Apart from a few media companies and agencies that have recession proofed themselves, Australia is seeing daily reports of staff sackings, cost cutting, falling profits and rationalisation.
Has this happened before, yes it has. Will it happen again, yes it will.
As an advertiser what does this fragile media climate mean to you.
It means get right into the market and establish a dominant presence whilst most companies are looking to deal keen deals to gain access to your bank account. What you dont want to do is rush the market and buy volumes of media rubbish and become part of the mindless advertising clutter.
To find out how to maximise your exposure in a media recession contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
The media business has morphed into one big blob of communications where there is little or no distinction between media ownerships or between mediums. They all look and sound the same.
What has made this happen?
Simply the convergence of traditional media with the internet and social media.
The single medium is a thing of the past and now any one medium has its 2nd, 3rd, 4th generations in another form.
Media is at the cross roads which poses the question, what medium is right for you and how much do you need to invest to effectively reach your audience.
There is no simple answer as it requires a media specialist to unravel the tangled web of offerings and make sense of what fits best for your business.
Dont follow the pack on what they do, or assume what you did last year will work again this year.
Contact an independent media specialist with no vested interests and dig deeper for the truth.
Website mediafutures.com.au